Volap�k (original) (raw)

simple:Volap�k

Volap�k is a constructed language created in 1880 by Johann Martin Schleyer, a Catholic priest in Baden, Germany. Schleyer felt that God had told him in a dream to create an international language. Volap�k conventions took place in 1884, 1887, and 1889. The first two conventions used German and the last conference used only Volap�k which may have been one of the primary reasons that Volap�k started to fade. Also, the first Esperanto book (Unua Libro) was published in 1887; Esperanto was much easier to learn, and many Volap�k clubs became Esperanto clubs. Schleyer insisted strongly on retaining his proprietary rights which restricted the language from evolving naturally. There are an estimated 25-30 Volap�k speakers in the world today.

Schleyer adapted the vocabulary mostly from English, with a smattering of German and French, and often modified it beyond easy recognizability. For instance, "vol" and "p�k" are derived from the English words "world" and "speech". Although unimportant linguistically, these deformations were greatly mocked by the language's detractors. The grammar is roughly based on that of Indo-European languages but with a regularized agglutinative character: grammatical features are indicated by putting together unchanging elements, rather than shifting, multi-meaning inflections. As in German, the Volap�k noun has four cases: nominative, genitive, dative, and accusative. Adjectives do not take a case unless they precede the noun or stand alone. The verb carries a fine degree of detail, with morphemes marking tense, aspect, voice, person, number, and the subject's gender. However, all of these categories are optional, and a verb can stand in an unmarked state.

Volap�k's ISO 639 language code is vo.

An example of Volap�k is the translation of the Lord's prayer:

O Fat obas, kel binol in s�ls, paisaludom�z nem ola! K�mom�d monarg�n ola! Jenom�z vil olik, �s in s�l, i su tal! Bodi obsik v�deliki govol�s obes adelo! E pardol�s obes debis obsik, �s id obs aipardobs debeles obas. E no obis nindukol�s in tendadi; sod aidalivol�s obis de bas. Jenos�d!